[Joe] Girardi and [Brian] Cashman said Chris Stewart and Francisco Cervelli are likely to compete for the starting catcher’s job. After missing most of last season because of a back injury, Austin Romine has only an outside chance.

Chris Stewart and Francisco Cervelli probably wouldn’t make the 25-man rosters of most teams in the majors today. Heck, it’s questionable as to whether or not they would make the 40-man roster of most teams. And, yet, one of them is going to be the Yankees starting catcher in 2013. Man, that just blows my mind…

Comments on Chris Stewart & Francisco Cervelli

I know Brian Cashman said Romine begins the season in the minors however I believe Romine will be the starting catcher when the Yanks come north. I think Cashman should have said let these three guys play it out in spring training and Joe will decide the best two.

I know Brian Cashman said Romine begins the season in the minors however I believe Romine will be the starting catcher when the Yanks come north.

I think Romine has a chance to get significant playing time in 2013 but I don’t think it’ll be right out of camp.

privey wrote:

I think Cashman should have said let these three guys play it out in spring training and Joe will decide the best two.

I’m actually fine that Romine wasn’t mentioned. If Romine plays his way into the equation, that’s fantastic. But better to let the situation sort itself out instead of giving Romine a reason to put pressure on himself (or, worse, a sense that he has an inside track to a permanent promotion to the majors).

The catching situation represents a spectacular management failure. The Yankees could have kept Martin, who would have been a very adequate transition player until Romine proved he could stay healthy or Sanchez was ready for the majors.

Catchers who are marginal big leaguers put the team at a disadvantage in a year when it is supposed to be competitive. By mid-season, Cashman will be looking for catching help, and he will have to overpay to get it. Letting Martin get away was just plain stupid.

@ Scout:
You’re ascribing blame for Martin’s departure to Cashman when it’s really shared blame between Martin (who turned down a better offer last year to sign for less this year) and Steinbrenner (who wouldn’t green-light a modest expenditure on an important role player like Martin).

I think of Romine has a nice Spring at the plate than he will get the starting job regardless of what Cash and Girardi have mentioned…

I think it’s possible that Romine plays in the Bronx in 2013 but I think it’s unlikely that he breaks camp with the team. He has no experience above the Double-A level and I find it hard to believe that the Yankees will turn over the keys to a multi-million dollar pitching staff to a rookie without further seasoning.

@ MJ Recanati: I said “management failure,” because it is never clear outside of the organization who has made a decision. We’ll never know whether Cashman wanted to make a two-year offer and Hal said no, whether Hal invoked the $189 million 2014 budget, or whether Cashman himself decided two years was too long or the money too much. Frankly, I don’t much care who made the call. In the end, all that matters is that the team has a black hole behind the plate.

“Chris Stewart and Francisco Cervelli probably wouldn’t make the 25-man rosters of most teams in the majors today. Heck, it’s questionable as to whether or not they would make the 40-man roster of most teams.”

Geez, Steve, what’s the word I can best use to describe this analysis…umm…rubbish? Horse manure? Nonsense? Hyperbolic bombastic balderdash?

Lemme see, here…it seems to me that a certain Francisco Cervelli was the backup catcher for a title-winning team just 4 years ago. He would’ve on the Yankees’ 25-man roster all of last year if he didn’t have an option left. THAT player has no right being on a 25-man roster? THAT player man is 50/50 not to make anyone’s 40-man roster?

And just for funsies, where did the Yanks did up Stewart from? Was he not on the 25-man roster of the Giants when they traded him to the Yankees?

OK, so neither is anything like a good starting catcher at the major league level; that much is true.

But not good enough to even be on any team’s roster? Pfffffffbbbbbttttt.

I have to agree with Scout. The Yanks really screwed this one up big time. Last year they offered Martin a $30M/3yr contract so they were willing to pay him an average of $10M a year even with their future salary cap constraints. Yet this year they refuse to better the Pirates offer which averages just over $8M. I know Martin had a terrible year but it seems they are being penny wise and pound foolish.